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Can it really help folks become empowered – change their lives for the better AND learn to help other people by sharing their gifts with the world to boot?

And who is the ideal audience, client or customer for Robbins Madanes strategic coaching? Is it only for coaches and consultants and people who are working with others in the world, or can it help ordinary folks who want to accomplish extraordinary things?

In this short article we are going to take a quick and insightful look at this unique blend of cutting edge psychology, self improvement and personal development techniques, as well as some BIG picture “spiritual” stuff that I truly believe may be the secret key to living a life you love. (even if you don’t believe in much right now)

First – let’s take a quick look at the absolute basics about the program, and the personalities involved.

The truth is, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are certainly familiar with Anthony Robbins, widely looked at as the worlds premier “motivational speaker” and late night infomercial maven… but who for years has fashioned himself as a change agent, peak performance coach and strategic interventionist for the masses.

So what is the Robbins Madanes Strategic Intervention training program?

Very simple. It’s a year long program that promises to not only transform the lives of those participating in the learning process of BECOMING a life coach and strategic interventionist (or simply learning the skills to improve your existing business, relationships and conflicts) but it is also a hybrid program that includes many hours of film study and review, weekly phone calls with world renowned author and SI family therapist, Cloe Madanes and Mark Peysha, who runs the nuts and bolts of the program and coach support.

Big disclaimer here:

1 – While I know someone very well who is participating in the program right now and getting great value and life changing benefits, I’m NOT currently enrolled in the program.

2 – I HAVE however, bought and watched many of the DVD’s and films that come with this program (live interventions with Tony Robbins and narrated by Chloe Madanes that are transformative and transfixing to watch, EVEN if you bore quickly watching personal development style stuff) and have participated in much of the pre-enrollment tele-classes and calls, and I’m very impressed.

3- Having a long personal background in studying Zen and Big Mind Meditation, along with voice dialogue and indirect negotiation therapy ( a core piece of the magic behind many of Robbins incredible interventions) I can honestly say, this is some of the very best material for folks who want to radically improve their lives in record time… while having an avalanche of “A-HA” moments to boot.

If you are a coach, or consultant, and are intimately involved in the human change movement… and truly want to facilitate great breakthroughs in your clients, this is the sort of stuff that is SO far outside of the typical cookie cutter stuff that’s out there, that on this basis alone, it’s incredibly enlightening.

More importantly though, at least for me, this training inspires ALL of us that change is possible at any age, and that you don’t need to be stuck in any limiting pattern, or series of beliefs… for ONE moment longer than you want.

That in of itself is an amazing and enlightening idea, and watching these interventions live, with real people in a real world setting, inspires ALL of us to know that our best days MAY be ahead of us, regardless of how much pain we may feel, or how many problems we face today!

I spend a lot of time at my seminars and workshops, on the phone and via email discussing the subject of homework organization. Actually, I spend a lot of time listening to parents complain that their children’s homework disorganization is driving everybody crazy!

Many students have such a hard time getting it together that by the time they finally sit down to do their homework, they are exhausted. No wonder they don’t want to do it! Getting organized will help alleviate exhaustion, bad attitudes, procrastination and rebelliousness.

Homework organization just makes life easier for everyone.

These are the homework organization tips that I use as a student, teacher and parent. Print this list and read it with your children. Then, post it on the fridge and refer to it often so that everybody (parents, kids, babysitters, grandparents) will be on the same organized page.

At School:

Write down every, single homework assignment in one place. I strongly recommend using a bound or wire notebook- definitely NOT a loose leaf binder. I don’t care how careful you are, pages will fall out, and then what? You won’t know what to do nor when to do it! A plain notebook is fine, but a datebook or calendar is the best. Some schools even provide these to students. Use it.

Write down homework assignments as you get them. This is mostly for older students that change classes and teachers, but it is a good habit for everyone. If the teacher says, “Oh, tonight I want you to read Chapter 4,” write that down in your notebook.

Write down every, single due date for a project or paper- even if you have a handout or syllabus. Handouts disappear (I think they hang out with loose socks), but you will still know what to do and when to do it if you have everything written down in your homework notebook.

Keep ALL of the day’s homework assignments together in one place. Don’t have a special place or page for math, another for writing, etc. You want to see everything in one spot.

Check your homework notebook Three (3) Times A Day: Before you leave school (or each class), double check to make certain that you have everything (books, paper, materials, etc.) that you will need later.

At Home:

Before you start doing your homework, look at your notebook and make sure that you are doing the right assignment, the right page, etc.

Before you put everything away, take one more quick look. Did you do everything? Good!

Make a decision about where you will put your completed homework: into a binder pocket, a special homework folder, etc. You may decide to have a color-coded folder for each class. If you choose to use folders, I strongly recommend using 3-hole punched folders and keeping them together in a 3-ring binder. Whatever you choose, stick to it! Don’t put your homework in your a binder today, a folder tomorrow… And, never, ever fold your homework into a book or throw it loose into your backpack! Shudder!

Use your Magic Homework Box. You do have one, don’t you? The Magic Homework Box is a box with all of the homework supplies and materials a student needs on a regular basis. These supplies only come out of the Magic Homework Box during homework time, so you always have what you need. Now, that’s magic!

Clean up as soon as you are finished with your homework. Now, not later! Put completed pages in your homework folder, then put the folder and homework notebook in your backpack. Not only will mornings will be less crazy, you won’t have to sit in class knowing that you did your homework and forgot it at home (doh!). Don’t forget to put away the dictionary and any other books you may have used.

Remember to put everything back into your Magic Homework Box. In my house, homework is not “done” until everything is cleaned up and put away.

Keep your backpack organized. Throw away all of those candy wrappers and random pieces of paper. Keep one area or pocket filled with a few items (pencils, a sharpener, maybe a calculator) so that you can do your homework anywhere- maybe even before you get home! Remove any graded test, project, report or paper that your teacher has taken the time to return to you. Why? You might need it to study for a test, for a portfolio or for a project. You can throw everything away at the end of the semester or the school year, but until then put each item in its own subject file, but NOT in the homework folder. Remember, homework folders are ONLY for completed homework that is ready to be turned in!

Don’t give up! They say it takes 21 days to form a good habit. If you forget to do something on this list, don’t stop trying. Hey, maybe if you remember to write down all of your homework or clean up for 21 days in a row, your mom or dad will do something extra nice for you! (Parents, that was a hint!)

A Note to Parents about Homework Organization

Please remember that your job is to give your children organizational tools and show them how to use them. Your job is NOT to organize your child’s homework! So, in the beginning, you might check your son’s homework notebook to make sure that he is writing down all of his assignments in one place, but you would never dream of calling the teacher and checking. You might watch as your daughter copies the science project due dates into her homework notebook; you will not do it for her.

Yes, I know that it is hard to let go- I’ve been there! But, we want our children to be organized and independent learners, right?

You can do it!

(For more information about recommended homework organization products and The Magic Homework Box, please see site information below.)

One powerful collage theme is motivation! But in order to create a motivational theme you first need to write down a goal. Start with a simple goal that relates to something personal that you are working to toward.

For example, I often have freshmen students in beginning art classes create a goal collage on their major. Where do they want to go? Where do they see their selves after graduation.

Consider the following 3 simple steps.

1. Sort and gather images that will motivate you to reach a goal. For example, if you are remodeling your house only gather those images that relate to that process. This would not be the collage that has images of your last birthday party.

2. Think possible not impossible

It is easy to get discouraged when doing your collage if you think about cost and other limitations. Stay focused on your dream. It can happen. That is why you are creating a collage with a goal in mind.

3. Have fun!

Think out of the box. Mix your images with powerful and inspiring words that will help you achieve your goals,

So write out your goals. Start searching for your images and get started.

If you need help doing goal setting I have a great coach for you.

Send an email to cegoals@aol.com. She will work with you to create solid goal statements using the SMART method. That stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and tangible.

And remember you can always contact me for any suggestions on your collage making process.

A Video Screen Splitter is a device which is used to relay images from multiple sources simultaneously on a single display device. Alternatively known as a distribution amplifier, this device transmits images without data loss and it appears as though the source is directly connected to the display. Consisting of two units, a local transmitter placed next to the source and a receiver placed next to the display, this device has the capability of splitting and boosting the signals. Available in 2, 4, 8 and 16 orts, they can also be cascaded or daisy chained together to achieve a greater configuration. Amongst the various models of the screen splitter available in the market, the most common ones are the DVI Splitter, the VGA Audio video splitter, VGA Video, S-Video, Component Video, HDMI Video and Composite Video splitter. All these models are classified on the basis of the video signals that they relay.

Some key features common to all these models are easy installation, plug and play functionality, no requirement of additional software or device drivers and long distance transmission of the video signals while maintaining signal integrity. While the DVI and HDMI splitter are highly demanded models, the most basic one is the VGA splitter.

On the other hand, the Quad Video Splitter is the most innovative device in the KVM industry as it simultaneously displays signals from four analog or digital sources on a single display device. This unit has numerous display modes such as the Quad mode wherein the screen is split into four fields of equal size with each field displaying content from one source respectively. The PIP mode is one in which up to three video sources is displayed as thumbnails on the right hand side of the full screen image. The dual mode allows the left halves of the full screen images from two video sources to be displayed side by side at full size and the full screen mode allows one of the four video sources to be shown at full screen size and maximum resolution.

All the different types of the Video Screen splitter are FCC and CE certified as well as RoHS compliant and allow switching between sources through front panel push buttons and RS232. High end models enable switching through IR and TCP/IP control as well. Ideal for situations where images from various sources need to be replicated on a single screen, they find usage in remote monitoring and surveillance facilities, financial, commercial, educational, government and military environments.

In spite of its popular name, the actual cause of ringworm is infection with fungal organisms. These infectious fungal organisms are called dermatophytes and the medical term for ringworm is dermatophytosis. Sometimes ringworm is also known as tinea. The fungal infectious organisms responsible for causing ringworm are widespread in nature and they commonly populate the soil. The only effective means of preventing the occurrence of ringworm is to maintain a good hygiene. Ringworm is very contagious and it can easily be acquired through direct contact with contaminated people, animals or objects. Regularly wash your hands after entering in contact with stray animals, as many of them are carriers of the fungi responsible for causing ringworms in humans.

Arthrospores are the main cause of ringworm in humans. Although there are lots of animals contaminated with arthrospores, they usually don’t show any signs of the disease. For some reason, most animals appear to be immune to this form of fungal infection. Microsporum canis is a type of fungi that commonly infects cats. This type of fungus can be easily transmitted to other animals and to humans. It is strongly recommended to avoid physical contact with animals that show signs of disease in order to prevent contamination with infectious fungal elements. Also, if you own a dog or a cat, ensure that your pet is not contaminated with dermatophytes by paying regular visits to a veterinary.

Ringworm can affect virtually any region of the body. Hands and feet are very exposed to fungal infection and dermatophytes often infect these body parts. Although it commonly affects skin, ringworm can also affect nails and scalp. Ringworm involves inflammation, rash and swelling of the skin, scalp, soft tissue and nails. Rash is usually the first sign that indicates the presence of fungal infections. Skin lesions may also appear in later stages of the disease. If the infection spreads through the deeper layers of the skin it can cause pustules and painful nodules. A hardened crust often forms on the surface of the affected skin. Common symptoms of ringworm are persistent itching, soreness and irritation.

Ringworm of the scalp appears in the form of pustules or pus-filled reddish bumps. Foot ringworm usually affects the skin regions between the toes. Foot ringworm appears in the form of cracked, hardened skin. The affected skin also tends to exfoliate, causing itching and soreness. Ringworm of the nails is manifested by thickening and discoloration of the nails.

It is very important to see a dermatologist if you have the symptoms of ringworm. Although it may resemble a simple rash or irritation, ringworm can cause serious complications if it is not appropriately treated. The treatment for ringworm can be prescribed in the form of oral tablets or creams and ointments for external use. The medications used in the treatment for ringworm contain antifungal material and they are usually very effective in overcoming the infection. With appropriate medical treatment, ringworm can be completely cured within a week.

The internet has changed the living habits of everyone who uses it. Since virtually, every piece of information that anyone can require is freely available on the internet, people have gotten addicted to it. Most of the parents are so caught up in their busy lives that when their children start to misbehave, they feel helpless and seek help in resolving their problems. Well, now there are online parenting classes available and a number of parents are using these classes to help them in handling their children better. The internet now also supports multimedia streaming, and psychiatrists now run online parenting classes videos on their websites.

In case you do not want to consult a child psychiatrist or join group therapy classes, or just feel shy of discussing the problems that you are having with your child, you can easily find such types of classes on the World Wide Web. On some of the sites, there is an introductory video that plays, and if you feel that the councilor can help you in solving your problems, you can sign up.

Online classes can be watched at your convenience, which is why they are gaining popularity. You are no longer bound to drive on a fixed day for a parenting class meeting. The other great advantage of online parenting classes is that all the leading councilors have their websites; therefore, you get to pick the councilor that you think is the most suitable one for you. This being able to pick a councilor of your choice is a very big convenience. The other advantage is that of privacy.

You can watch a counseling video at your convenience and you can also send emails to the councilor and get private help on any particular problem that you might be facing.

Most people who have opted for online classes have found them to be quite helpful and have helped in developing a better parent/child relationship. It is not only the convenience that has made online parenting classes popular; they are proving to be extremely beneficial even otherwise.

Most parents face problems with children and at times do not know how to handle a particular situation. They also fear that if they handle a situation incorrectly, it might adversely affect the child. Many parents turn for help to other parents in solving parent/child problems.

Some people have access to the internet but not to a parent councilor; in such cases, online parenting classes are a big help and convenience. The very fact that you can pick and choose a councilor makes the online parenting classes worthwhile and a great help for the parents in dilemma.

The online councilors reply promptly to emails; therefore, you do not have to wait very long to get sound and helpful advice from them. Another big advantage of online parenting classes is that you can set your own pace. So, you are not a member of a group who has to follow or adhere to a specific schedule. These are some of the reasons why online parenting classes have become so popular.

Several times a year I spend time trying to figure out which activities I am going to sign my kids up for at the YMCA. I spend hours poring over their booklet trying to match available activity times with the kids’ home and school schedule.

My first step is to try to remember the name of the last Ballet, gymnastics, basketball or swim class that they had finished so that I don’t mistakenly schedule them for a class they had previously taken. When I finally feel confident that I have figured that out I highlight the classes I need to sign the kids up for in the YMCA booklet and head for the YMCA, with kids in tow, to schedule their appointments. I had tried doing this over the phone in the past but was disappointed when they had scheduled my daughter for the wrong swimming class and the one I wanted her in was filled up by the time I noticed the error. So I opt for reserving the classes in person to avoid these types of mistakes, even though it is a hassle having to make this extra trip.

On the first day of my sons swimming class I noticed that the class my son was in had 12 children and one swimming instructor. This was okay, but a class at the other end of the pool had only 4 children with one instructor so they were receiving a more individualized instruction. I mentioned this observation to the woman next to me and she said that the YMCA provides a way to view the class sizes online. She went on to tell me that she views each class she is interested in and chooses the one that is least filled. It turns out that her daughter does not do well in large group settings and the online service allows her to choose a class that is better suited for her child.

I was very much intrigued by this and inquired at the front desk about viewing the YMCA class availability online. The YMCA gave me all the information I needed to log on from home and view all the classes and class sizes from home. I also found out that I could utilize the online service to view the history of which classes each of my children had completed, schedule the classes and pay for them all from home. This turned out to be a huge time saver for me and also gave me the peace of mind that the correct classes were scheduled.

I can say without a doubt that the best way to find and reserve the correct classes at the YMCA is to book them online.

It’s been public knowledge that the quality of our education around the world has been very low due to many reasons that are never heeded by our world education experts including Indonesia one of the biggest world countries whose schools and universities outnumber other world countries’ but their quality has not improved.

From my observation, interviews, teaching and lecturing at schools, colleges and universities in Indonesia, there are many factors which I think are very important to consider by our world educators in order to improve the quality of our education. There are at least 3 factors that affect the success or failure of our education: internal, external and instrumental factors. I believe that if we pay particular attention to these three factors, the quality of our education will better in terms of quality in our education.

The first factor is internal factor which refers to the learners who are learning. It includes (a) their individual interest in learning, (b) learning motivation implanted in the learners who are learning with other learners who have the same interest. This learning motivation is also influenced by several factors, that is learners’ learning ability, conditions, environmental conditions, dynamic elements in learning, and efforts of their teachers in teaching the learners in addition to other circumstances such as the learners’ physical condition, and their psychological state, their attention, attitude and learning habits, toughness in learning, social and economic stance as well as cognitive ability.

The second factor is called the external factor which is not separable from the first factor that guarantees learning outcome. This factor includes social environment where the learners, stakeholders I mean the schools or universities and the teachers and lecturers are, and those are present with the learners. The presence of other people at the time of learning should often be in line with the purposes of the learners’ activities that they should not interfere or prevent them from learning, in other words the presence of the people around the learners should be supporting their learning experience and activities, and the environment such as peers, classmates from the same and different classes, school administration/management, their teachers and other employees of the school as well as the headmasters very much influence the learning process to account for learning outcomes. Another important thing which is also related to the success of learning is the curriculum, the course structure, and the infrastructure available as means or media of learning as well as teachers as designers of learning and those are surely guaranteed for learning outcomes supported by devices or tools that are ready at hand that have to be well designed in such a way that they will meet the requirements of the learning activities.

In conclusion, those are the two very important factors which account for the success of learning we as world educators and education stakeholders should pay attention to in order to guarantee success in our world education.

John Ruskin (1819 -1900) was an English art critic and social thinker, also remembered as a poet and artist. He wrote a number of essays on art and architecture that became extremely influential in the Victorian era. He takes material for his lecture “Work” from the existing economic revolution which is generally referred to as “Industrial Revolution”. Apart from its advantages and benefits it brought a great destruction for the poor people. The writer reveals the general facts and harsh realities which were ignored even by those who themselves were the main victim of revolution.

What is Working Class?

Ruskin, in the very beginning, is going to clarify the matter that what it is meant by “working class”. Most probably it is the opposite of “idle class”. Then “idle class” will be the synonym of “upper class”. At this point, Ruskin asks question to his audience whether he is correct in drawing this distinction or not. The question is asked only with the intention to gain the sympathy of his audience so that to convince them about his own arguments.

Then, he rejects the above mentioned distinction because the idle people may be found in both rich and poor classes. There is a working class among both rich and poor and there is also an idle class among both rich and poor. So the distinction between working class and upper class has been proved to be wrong. As the topic of his lecture is work, the writer sticks to the working class. He draws organized distinction between the two classes in various respects. The following are the major distinctions vividly drawn by the author.

First Distinction

This distinction is between two classes; those who work and those who play. It can be understood easily after knowing the difference between work and play. “Play” has been derided for the purpose of pleasure with no determined end while work is something totally different which is intended to earn benefit and is done with some determined end. The writer critically analyzes some popular work of England that are worthy to be called “games”.

“The first English game is making money”

This is an ironical statement for those who earn money blindly. Such people don’t know why they are earning money and what they will do with it? They are in fact players, playing the game of minting money. The aristocratic ladies of his time were also indulging in the most expensive game of “dressing”. Ruskin satirically encodes their behaviour saying these are the “poor women” with no proper clothing. Had the garment-budget of these ladies distributed among the poor people of third world, it would have sufficed them to fulfill their basic needs. However, the distinction between work and play is not exclusively mutual; a single thing can be equally “work” and “play” according to its primary and secondary purposes.

Second Distinction

The writer draws another distinction between the rich and poor. The first spends a large amount of money even on cheap and ordinary things while the latter has to endeavor his basic needs.

Ruskin quotes two instances from a newspaper. The first says that in Russia a man of good fortune entered into a hotel to take his breakfast. He paid there fifteen francs only for two peaches. The second story states the miserable state of a dead person whose body was lying on a dung heap with no person paying any heed towards him only because he belongs to the poor class. Some dried pieces of “bones” were taken out of his pocket thus intensifying the misery of the poor person.

Lawful Bases of Wealth

The lawful basis of wealth is that a worker should be paid a fair amount of his work and he should also be given liberty regarding his money; whether spends or saves for some rainy day. After implementing this law in a true sense there would be no “poor person” except for those lazy people who stay at home lazily instead of doing some work. Such kind of poor are doubly poor; lacking not only worldly possessions but also the moral strength. Those who follow this law are real rich irrespective of money they have in their possessions.

False Base of Minting Money

Duty is the main thing that should be given priority. Those who cares more about their salary or fee than the work they have been assigned, though, can become rich but on the false basis. Ruskin critically refers to such kind of people terming them “uneducated class”, “inferior in intellect” and “coward”. At this point Ruskin has proved his philosophy by giving an analogy. He says the primary purpose of a soldier’s life must be to win battles. Similarly teaching goodness should be the sole purpose of a clergyman’s life. Both of these persons are paid well for their duties but that is at secondary level. If this becomes their primary objective then they would be “coward” and “stupid”.

Third distinction

Some people work with their hands while some other with their brains. There is rough work to be done, and rough men must do it. There is also gentle work to be done and gentle men must do it. Both works are important in that the maintenance of life depends on manual as well as mental work. Every person should do honestly his own job, mental or physical.

Nevertheless it is a true fact that the dignity of labour and hard work is recognized only by his own class. A man working in a quiet and serene room with everything comfortable is unlikely to be aware of the hardships of train-drivers who have to drive against cruel winds with no difference of day and night in their life.

The rough work is generally honest, real and useful whereas the gentle work often accompanies dishonesty and cheating. When both the works are worthily done the head’s is noble work and the hand’s is ignorable. Again Ruskin criticizes the rich class who persistently thinks of providing relief and comfort to the working class but do nothing practically.

The essay tells us that both kinds of work should be done properly but he problem surfaces when people don’t work willingly. The main reason of this attitude is they don’t know which work they can do better. This “will” can be promoted only when they select the appropriate profession in accordance with their ability. Ruskin says, “in order that a man may be happy, it is necessary that he should not only be capable of his work, but a good judge of his work”.

The family is a basic unit of the society which consists of the husband, wife and their children. Each of these members has their assigned roles and responsibilities. Within a family, everyone assumes these roles. Talking about these roles and responsibilities, it is important to note the following key points:

• One of the most important responsibilities of a family is raising a child. It is the most challenging responsibility because the child has to be raised from childhood till he/she is old enough to take care of him/herself.

• The family is also expected to educate and transmit the societal norms and culture to its offspring and also give them a position or status in life.

• The family provides emotional, psychological moral and material support to members.

• The family has to ensure provision of.physical security in terms of food, clothing, shelter and other needs to its offspring or other dependent individual members of the family e.g grandparents. However, tradition still believes in assigning specific roles to each family member.

Examples of roles and responsibilities of each family member include:

Father

• Provision of food, shelter and money for the family

• Making important decisions.

Mother

• Preparing food and keeping the house in order

• Nurturing and raising the children, teaching the children morals and values

It is important to note that the above roles and any other traditional roles assigned to either parent could be performed by any of the parents. Indeed, both parents are to compliment each other in the performance of all these functions.

Each of these roles is accorded a status. The status assigned to a particular role within the family reflects the values and beliefs of that family. The higher the status assigned to a role, the greater the authority, privileges and reward accorded to that role.